portugal11 wrote:It is a shame that vegni doesn't use the hardest climbs in italy. Gavia, fauniera, finestre, zoncolan, crostis should be used way more often

Italy is packed with hard climb, I think is nice to see some change times to times. But I can't say that I am fully satisfied with Cervinia every 3 years.

The problem with Fauniera is that the road is in bad condition no ? Since RCS is keen to prone the security of riders like in Tirreno 2016 with the EWP, I don't think they'll going to take the risk to face a strike from the riders...

But give us back Pradaccio, no problem with the road, I was mad when they avoided it in 2015.

Alpe di Pampeago has been regularly used as a mtf in the past. The harder ascend from South Tyrol called Reiterjoch has been paved for years now. Yet it hasn't been used either as a mtf or as final climb with a fast downhill finish. Instead we get the same boring Dolomites stage around Val Gardena each year again. There would be great options for a Drei Zinnen mtf as well. It's actually a quite hard ascend if you attempt the Auronzo Hut from Toblach via Col Sant' Angelo before. With numerous options to add South Tyrolean climbs like the Würzjoch, Furkelsattel, Jaufenpass, Rodenecker Alm, etc. before. Yet, we never see these options. Apparently the Drei Zinnen stage had been completely scratched instead. Neither do we see the Kronplatz mtt back.

There are enough hard climbs to use and potentially a huge paycheck to earn from the government and tourist office. Money RCS needs desperately. But the Giro organizer prefers to start the race abroad instead. I don't get it. Zomegnan used to take this opportunities. Especially back in 2008. It nearly looks like Vegni wilfully avoids South Tyrol, with exceptions like this year proving the rule.

staubsauger wrote:Alpe di Pampeago has been regularly used as a mtf in the past. The harder ascend from South Tyrol called Reiterjoch has been paved for years now. Yet it hasn't been used either as a mtf or as final climb with a fast downhill finish. Instead we get the same boring Dolomites stage around Val Gardena each year again. There would be great options for a Drei Zinnen mtf as well. It's actually a quite hard ascend if you attempt the Auronzo Hut from Toblach via Col Sant' Angelo before. With numerous options to add South Tyrolean climbs like the Würzjoch, Furkelsattel, Jaufenpass, Rodenecker Alm, etc. before. Yet, we never see these options. Apparently the Drei Zinnen stage had been completely scratched instead. Neither do we see the Kronplatz mtt back.

There are enough hard climbs to use and potentially a huge paycheck to earn from the government and tourist office. Money RCS needs desperately. But the Giro organizer prefers to start the race abroad instead. I don't get it. Zomegnan used to take this opportunities. Especially back in 2008. It nearly looks like Vegni wilfully avoids South Tyrol, with exceptions like this year proving the rule.

Since Vegni got onboard, South Tyrol didn't have at least one stage only in 2015 iirc.

A race that doesn't give an attacker the chance to finish it off alone is not a race anymore.

With 2 or 3 climbs before it Cervinia is actually a good final mountain stage after a hard 3rd week, it could be pretty good.Kronplatz/Plan de Corones has invested aa ton of money in the Messner Mountain Museum and that museum is probably their main focus when it comes to summer tourism, so I don't know if we'll see the climb in the next few years.

Mayomaniac wrote:With 2 or 3 climbs before it Cervinia is actually a good final mountain stage after a hard 3rd week, it could be pretty good.Kronplatz/Plan de Corones has invested aa ton of money in the Messner Mountain Museum and that museum is probably their main focus when it comes to summer tourism, so I don't know if we'll see the climb in the next few years.

The problem I have with Cervinia is not the climb itself, but the climbs you can put before it. The penultimate climb in the stage 2015 was the best possible option and if that's the best possible option for the final mountain stage it's hard to be not disappointed. Still, way better than the last mountain stage this year anyway.

In any case, my hype for this route is gone. The stage around Sestriere looks way worse than what I hoped for when the rumor first came up (not a big fan of Jafferau, since you'll always have a flat section before it and moreover the last climb will most likely be Sestriere which is anything but exciting as well), Prato Nevoso is okay as it's the first of the 3 mountain stages, but it's still not difficult to find more interesting climbs, still no Fedaia, which I think is always the main reason why the whole forum still wants a Dolomites stage every year, and as far as I understand it, there won't be double Zoncolan. It still looks decent and I still like some things like the early Etna stage or the San Marino ITT, but it's not as good as I hoped.

On another note, do I understand it right that Sestriere might be Cima Coppi (if they pass it in the Jafferau stage)? Because that must be the lamest Cima Coppi since its invention.

Mayomaniac wrote:With 2 or 3 climbs before it Cervinia is actually a good final mountain stage after a hard 3rd week, it could be pretty good.Kronplatz/Plan de Corones has invested aa ton of money in the Messner Mountain Museum and that museum is probably their main focus when it comes to summer tourism, so I don't know if we'll see the climb in the next few years.

The problem I have with Cervinia is not the climb itself, but the climbs you can put before it. The penultimate climb in the stage 2015 was the best possible option and if that's the best possible option for the final mountain stage it's hard to be not disappointed. Still, way better than the last mountain stage this year anyway.

In any case, my hype for this route is gone. The stage around Sestriere looks way worse than what I hoped for when the rumor first came up (not a big fan of Jafferau, since you'll always have a flat section before it and moreover the last climb will most likely be Sestriere which is anything but exciting as well), Prato Nevoso is okay as it's the first of the 3 mountain stages, but it's still not difficult to find more interesting climbs, still no Fedaia, which I think is always the main reason why the whole forum still wants a Dolomites stage every year, and as far as I understand it, there won't be double Zoncolan. It still looks decent and I still like some things like the early Etna stage or the San Marino ITT, but it's not as good as I hoped.

On another note, do I understand it right that Sestriere might be Cima Coppi (if they pass it in the Jafferau stage)? Because that must be the lamest Cima Coppi since its invention.

Anything would be better than that. By far the worst final mountain stage designs in recent years